Hand in Hand
by lightblue-Nymphadora
Summary: Ginny and Draco's relationship in a series of kisses. Draco's 7th year.
1. Kiss and Make Up

**_LbN: This was another of the top winners from the Birthday poll. Enjoy!_**

**Hand in Hand**

"Bloody hell woman! What do you want me to do?" Draco asked in a furious whisper.

"What do I want you to do? I want you to tell her to stop hanging all over you like a freaking sloth!" Ginny whispered back.

They were currently having a quiet argument in the back of an unused classroom on the second floor. Ravenclaw's floor; neutral territory. Both of them were starting to wish that they had gone to the Room of Requirement, so they could yell properly.

"Ginny," Draco took a deep breath. "You know why I can't—"

"No, no I don't. I get that you can't take me places, and that we have to sneak around to even have a proper conversation; and even that you have to call me a blood traitor all the time," Ginny said tiredly. "But I don't understand why you have to let that cow fall all over you like that. I mean, you can't be a single Death Eater?"

"Fine…" Draco sighed. "But if we get caught, it totally throws my alibi that I was cheating with you to get back at her…"

"Just make up a new one," Ginny pouted. "Look, I just…I don't like seeing her…" Ginny trailed off with a sigh. With barely a pause, Draco strode forward, took Ginny by the waist and kissed her. It was one of those time-slows-to-a-crawl, you'll-only-ever-see-this-in-a-Disney-movie type kisses. One that only Malfoy would be able to pull off. He pulled away slowly and kissed her forehead, just for good measure.

"She means nothing to me," he said. "And if I can get away with breaking up with her, I will."

"'Kay…" Ginny panted, with a slightly dazed expression on her face.

"It's nine," Draco glanced at his watch. "We'd better…"

"Yeah. I'll send Dobby with a letter next time I can meet you."

She stood on her tiptoes and gave him another peck, before making her way back to Gryffindor common room. It was only much later, when she was trying to fall asleep, that she realized that that had been their first real kiss...


	2. Kiss Goodnight

**_LbN: All of these chapters are going to be pretty short, except for (maybe) the last two. Hope you like this one!_**

**Hand in Hand**

Ginny took Draco's hand as they walked through the garden behind the greenhouses. It was well after dark, so no one was out to see them together. They'd spent the past twenty minutes discussing how they were going to communicate over the Christmas holiday. Draco had sent away for two journals, and had magically connected them so that they would pick up the other's writing.

"And you just have to say _evanesco_, and it'll disappear?" Ginny checked, slipping her journal into her bag.

"Right," Draco nodded.

"So I can write something like 'Draco's a sexy beast and I want to have his babies' and as long as you erase it, no one can see it?" she smirked, enjoying watching him blush in the dim light of their wands.

"Yeah, exactly," he said. "But you still shouldn't leave it lying around. You know, just in case."

"Right. Can we meet one more time before the term ends?"

"Might be kind of hard," Draco thought aloud. "Next Monday? We could meet in the extra Charms classroom again."

"Alright," Ginny smiled and leaned up to kiss him. After a moment, they broke apart and she said, "See you Monday then."

"Cheers!"

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	3. Kiss Goodbye

**_LbN: Hey everyone! Hope you like the new chapter!_**

**Hand in Hand**

Ginny felt like her heart was breaking. It had been about a week since she'd left Hogwarts and three days, five hours, and seven minutes exactly since she'd been able to talk to Draco through their diaries. He had been worried because his father was hosting some big Death Eater gathering over the holidays. She was going mad with worry. Draco was a great Occlumens, but Voldemort was better. Closing her eyes, Ginny remembered the last day of term as she tried to go to sleep.

"_So what will you be doing over the break?" Draco asked quietly. They had snuck out to the greenhouses during lunch, when no one would be out there._

"_Just lounging about," Ginny shrugged. "Mum's invited Bill and Fleur back, so I'll get to see them; and I think Charlie's coming home as well. What are you going to be up to?"_

"_Don't know just yet. Mum's having the Manor decorated, so their probably having a party or something. Christmas should be quiet, though. Bellatrix will be there, but I can avoid her."_

"_Is she as evil to you as she is to everyone else?"_

"_Well, not really," Draco frowned, thinking. "I mean, she tries to 'educate me in proper pureblood ways' and whatnot; but she's not exactly mean to me or anything. She's harsh, but that's just how she is…"_

"_So she doesn't…she's never, you know…hurt you or anything?"_

"_Well, she's been shut up in Azkaban for most of my life, so she hasn't really gotten the chance. But since she's been out, no. I don't think I've done anything to piss her off quite that badly."_

"_Good. Stay on her slightly less evil side."_

"_I'll try," Draco chuckled, turning towards Ginny. "I've got to get up to Arithmancy now. Talk to you soon, alright?"_

"_Cheers," Ginny smiled. "Have a good holiday."_

_Draco leaned in for a kiss…_

Ginny smiled as she remembered that day. She shifted uncomfortably on her bed, hoping he was okay.

**_LbN: Send reviews!!_**


	4. Kiss and Tell

**_LbN: Hey guys! Bit longer chapter this time; hope you like it!_**

**Hand in Hand**

"…so I went straight to Dumbledore when I got here," Draco said. "I mean, I know it's risking a lot. Up till now I haven't actually, you know, worked against You-Know-Who."

"But you've been hiding me," Ginny reasoned. "You've been blocking memories of me. If you can hide those memories, these can't be that much harder, right?"

"Well, kind of. See, I convinced myself that dating you wouldn't be against his wishes, 'cause you're a pureblood. You-Know-Who can kind of sense when you're concealing something he would want to know. My dating habits aren't on that list. Telling Dumbledore about his newest plans, however…He looks for traitors in everyone. Even Bellatrix. He suspects this from everyone; especially those who have connections with Dumbledore, so…"

"He'll suspect you."

They fell into an uncomfortable silence as they walked along the edge of the Forest. Hagrid had provided them with the helpful ruse of collecting Bowtruckles for the third year classes, but they were still conversing in low voices; just in case. It was the first time in the two weeks that they'd been back that they could meet up, so Draco was filling Ginny in with all of the details about his break that he'd had to leave out of the journal. Though he hadn't told her exactly what the Death Eaters were up to (saying it was too dangerous to tell her), she felt reassured in the fact that he'd told Dumbledore.

"I just wish I could help," Ginny said finally.

"You can't," Draco said sharply. "You're in enough danger as it is, between your family and Potter. Dumbledore'll put some of his Phoenix lot on it; don't worry about it."

Ginny pulled him into a hug; knowing that they both knew she would, in fact, worry about it. He leaned down and gave her a long kiss. This ended up being a large mistake.

"The bloody hell d'you think you're doing?" came a shout.

Ron and Harry were standing there looking furious, as Hermione looked smug and Hagrid looked confused.

"Knew it," Hermione smirked, taking hold of Ron and Harry.

"I'm going to kill you, Malfoy!" Ron bellowed.

"I'll help," Harry snarled.

"Knock it off, you two!" Ginny pleaded, stepping in front of Draco. "And keep your voices down!"

"What? Afraid it'll tarnish your rep, Malfoy?" Ron asked, not bothering to do as Ginny said. "Afraid to be seen SNOGGING A BLOOD TRAITOR?" he added in a carrying yell.

"Mr. Weasley, I must insist that you calm yourself," said a voice. It was Dumbledore, walking around from the side of Hagrid's cabin. Looking at their bemused faces, he smiled and said, "I hastened down here when I got Hagrid's Patronus. He seemed to be worried about fatalities taking place in his cabbage patch."

"You don't think anyone heard, do you Professor?" Draco asked in quiet panic.

"Good going Ginny," Ron sneered. "Picking a guy who's ashamed of you."

"Ron, you're a dumb ass," Draco, Ginny, and Hermione said in unison. Ron opened his mouth furiously, but Hermione cut him off.

"_Think_ Ron. Let's say Malfoy's not the evil toe rag you think he is—"

"Thanks Granger," Draco rolled his eyes.

"Then obviously," Hermione continued, ignoring the blonde. "He wouldn't want anyone to find out about him dating Ginny, since his father would—"

"Chop my head off?" Draco offered.

"Precisely," Dumbledore nodded. "Well, perhaps not precisely, but you get the idea. Draco is already in grave danger residing with two high ranking Death Eaters. We would not want the blatant evidence of his defection from Voldemort's ranks to travel. Now, I believe the house elves have cooked up something especially scrumptious for supper. Shall we go and investigate?"

It wasn't really a question, it was a command. With one last nasty look at Draco, Harry followed Dumbledore up to the castle, Ron pulling Ginny along behind them. Hermione gave Draco a pat on the back (to which he gave her a weird look), before going to catch up with them.

**_LbN: Super big thanks to everyone who's been reviewing so far! Don't forget to go to my profile and vote, if you haven't already!_**


	5. Better with a Kiss

**_LbN: Last chapter! I know you guys are gonna be pissed that I'm ending it here, but I only planned it to the end of seventh year...Hope you like it!_**

**Hand in Hand**

Draco stowed his wand in the inside of jeans, making sure his shirt covered it. This had become a habit ever since he'd received it at eleven; especially at times like these. His wand was his security blanket, and even though he couldn't really defend himself against Death Eaters, it made him feel better that he could try. It even made being summoned by his father slightly more bearable. Slightly.

With a sigh, he left his bedroom and walked through the halls of Malfoy Manor, down to his father's study. Entering the small room, his heart stopped for a second. It wasn't just Lucius; Bellatrix was there as well.

_Don't worry; don't look panicked,_ he told himself. _You're seventeen; they just want you to take the Mark. Another lecture on pureblood ways, nothing to worry about. Nothing to worry about._

"Do you know why I've summoned you, Draco?" Lucius asked.

"No Father," Draco said in what he hoped was a politely curious voice.

"Really?" Bellatrix asked quietly.

A million and two alarm bells went off in Draco's head. He was in serious trouble if Bellatrix was addressing him without Lucius' permission. Taking a deep breath, he decided to continue his lie. If he was going to go down, he was going do so in style.

"No Aunt Bellatrix," he said.

The next thing he recognized was considerable pain, and the fact that he was on the floor. He had, of course, been put under the Cruciatus curse before; but only by his father, who usually went easy on him for the sake of his mother. This was different, this was Bellatrix. Pure, unrelenting evil was coursing through his veins. Then it stopped. He took a bunch of deep breaths and opened his eyes. His vision swam, but he could just make out his father walking over to him. After receiving a sharp kick in the gut, Draco was pulled to his feet and shoved against the wall. In his weakened state, he couldn't block out his father.

"_Legilimens!_"

Every kiss, every hug, every random memory Draco had with Ginny came rushing to the front of his mind. He gracefully switched his facial expression from "innocent" to "defiant", and the change was not lost on either of the adults in the room.

"You don't deny it?" Lucius asked.

"No. How did you find out?"

"A good pureblood son told us," Bellatrix said.

"Nott," Lucius clarified.

"Should've known…" Draco mumbled.

Lucius looked at him once more, before hitting him across the face. Gone, Draco realized, were the days of a small, yet stinging, slap. It was a full blown punch that ushered in another round of Bellatrix's signature curse. Draco barely had time to take a breath when she lifted it before his father kicked him again in the stomach. It went on for what had to be hours. At last, both adults seemed to be tired of torturing him. Through puffy eyes, he glanced up and saw that the sun was setting. He coughed and raised a weak hand to the cuts on his face. With mounting terror, he saw his father raise his wand. His wand…

"Avada Kedavra."

**HiH**

_Happy bloody Easter_, Ginny thought. This was, without a doubt, the worst holiday she'd ever experienced; and that included the Christmas right after Ron had gone to Hogwarts.

"Sis?" Fred asked, knocking on the door and peeking his head in. "There you are! We've been looking for you."

He and George walked into her room and sat down, legs crossed, on the end of her bed.

"So…Malfoy—"

"Please guys?" Ginny pleaded. "I've heard it from Mum, Dad, Charlie, Bill, Ron and Harry already. I don't need to hear it again."

"No," George shook his head. "We weren't going to lecture you. We just wanted to know how long you two've been seeing each other."

"Since last year."

Both twins nodded at her. After a moment of silence, Fred smiled.

"If you trust him, we'll give him a chance to prove he deserves you," he said. "Come on, it's time for dinner."

With a happy smile, Ginny thanked God for the twins and followed them down to the kitchen. The rest of the family, she found as she sat at the table, were not as ready to accept the couple. Ron was glaring at her, Bill looked concerned, and the rest of the family, including Harry, were just looking down at their plates. Unable to stand it, Ginny broke the silence.

"Look, I know that you guys don't like him—" she started.

"Don't like him?" Ron cut her off. "He's a Death Eater!"

"He is not," Ginny rolled her eyes. "He's just related to one."

"Is there a difference?" Bill asked. "You just trusted him on his word? According to Harry and Ron, he's a piece of work; and looking at who he's related to, I can see it."

"According to Harry and Ron? According to the two guys who blew him off when he first met them? According to the two guys he's had a rivalry against since he was eleven? They've spent so much mature quality time with him, they must be right…" Ginny rolled her eyes.

"This isn't a joke, Ginny!" Arthur said sternly. "How do you know—"

Just then there was a loud _crack!_ outside. Every turned and looked out of the window. With a gasp, Ginny bolted for the door. She ran out the door before anyone could stop her and through the garden, family at her heals.

"Draco!" she said, dropping to her knees beside him. "Draco—holy shit…Mum! He's splinched himself!"

Molly, who had been standing in the doorway, darted inside and came back out running. Stopping next to Ginny, she opened the bottle of dittany and emptied it on Draco's leg. The wound closed almost completely.

"What happened to him?" Ron asked.

"Dunno," Ginny said. "Come on, we need to get him inside."

Bill and Arthur grabbed the blonde boy and took him into the house. As they were setting him on the couch, Draco opened (rather, tried to open) one eye. He coughed and closed it again. Ginny looked him over, pulling his shirt up to expose the bruises on his stomach. Barely restraining the urge to burst into tears, she took the cloth her mom was holding and started to put ointment on the ugly purple patches. Eyes still closed, Draco mumbled something.

"What babe?" Ginny whispered.

"They found out," Draco coughed. "Lucius and Bellatrix. Can we get a message to Dumbledore?"

"Don't worry, we'll tell him," Arthur said gently. "I'll do it now."

"Mum will you get me some more of this?" Ginny asked, holding up the empty bottle of ointment.

"Sure," Molly nodded, taking the bottle from her.

Once they were gone, Ginny looked back at Draco, finally letting a few tears leak out.

"Don't cry," Draco whispered through puffy lips. "I've been through worse…"

"The fuck you have."

"Kiss you mum with that mouth?"

"Can I kiss you with this mouth?" Ginny smiled, kissing his forehead and cheeks softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Bad," the Slytherin coughed again. "He tried to kill me."

"How'd you get away?"

"Remembered I had my wand. Apparated."

"Don't worry, we'll get you better. It's only a day until we go back to Hogwarts, you don't have to worry."

"I know," he tried to smile, and wincing when it hurt. "I'm gonna," he coughed, "go to sleep."

"Night love," Ginny kissed him again.

"Night," he whispered and closed his eyes.

**FIN**

_Walk with me_

_Hand in hand._

_We will help each other understand_

_How to go through._

_There will never be a day that we'll grow apart._

_So we'll forever be_

_Together_

_Hand in hand._

**_LbN: Hope y'all liked it!! Review please!_**


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